Diary of Zero
by Marchioly
Summary: Louise had one goal: to succeed the summoning ritual and gain parental approval. Little did she know that she would soon be fighting to keep her very soul.
1. Prologue

Nothing, merely a white expanse as far as the eye could see. The unchanging landscapes dull monotony was inescapable.

The only change in this scenery was a lone individual.

He was a male youth of around 16, possessing a somewhat full build and dark, curly hair.

He was also unmoving: like a grotesque living parody of a statue the individual stood staring into the eyes of oblivion. Only the slow rise and fall of his chest betrayed the fact that he had not yet crossed the waters of the Styx.

* * *

Stuck in this self imposed exile, the decades had been maddening.

The first decade was simple, he knew the plan was successful and that he was (in a way) immortal. And so he was content.

The second decade was worse, it had just ended when he felt a tear in his spiritual essence. This shadow of humanity was no longer content. He was startled to realize that where the bond to his former self was previously a source of contentment and reassurance, it was now a source of pain … and fear. He was a prideful being, and more maddening than the constant pain and fear emanating from his former self was the knowledge of his failure.

His spiritual basis meant that he needed food nor water. Thus, he sat and waited.

And so, he was prepared to continue his isolated existence until the coming of the four horses.

Truth be told, he was awaiting it.

* * *

However, his self imposed exile was broken with the sound of an ethereal voice shattering the silence of his solitude.

"Servant, who exists to serve me, heed my call"

He blinked, the concept of servitude was an interesting one, merely because of the implied change from his current torment. This was where he went wrong in the past. He had forgotten that the sheep will always be suspicious of the snake. It is better to go overlooked and hide in the shadows.

Any change would be welcome from his current unchanged scenery of nearly half a century.

Before he was able to express his interest in the scenario, the voice was gone as suddenly as it came.

Although the figure had yet to move, the slightest grin could be seen on his face. Whether it was from his final loss of sanity or merely satisfaction at some external stimuli, I cannot say. It falls beyond the desired scope of this tale and my knowledge. I am a mere scribe, not a soul reader.

This is the story of Louise Francoise de la Vierre and how she was able to change the world.


	2. Chapter 1,2

**Chapter 1**

"Spirit that exists outside the constraints of this world, hear my call."

Any of the anticipatory silence regarding the result of the invocation met an explosive end… in a very literal sense.

The stunned student body had just witnessed quite possibly the final failure of Louise Francoise de la Vierre.

In all reality, the student body should not have been stunned, because Louise was the zero. She had zero talent, zero success, and now … zero future at the Tristain academy of magic.

* * *

Looking down at her hands, Louise could not believe her failure. She was the daughter of Karin the Heavy Wind, she should not be in this situation. Being regaled from birth by stories of her mother's achievements had resulted in her developing a superiority complex.

Embracing the Rule of Steel, Louise rose from her hunched position. The force of the explosion had resulted in the scattering of the contents of her bookbag.

* * *

Louise's motions seemed to bring the rest of the students back to life, the rising gossip of the student population merely stirred her to action. She single-mindedly scurried around and retrieved her items.

If she was paying more attention or was a little less flustered, she would have noticed that she had one more book than when she started.

But, she was not. Little did she know that this decision would affect the rest of her life.

With a down trodden head, Louise quickly abandoned the company of her peers.

However, her escape was not fast enough to escape a scathing comment from Kirche. "Louis's familiar is so amazing and powerful, that it is not possible for mere nobles like us to see it." She continued boisterously: "It is either that or she was unable to even summon a familiar, in which case she does not even possess a dot of magic."

The pinkette could only huff as she did not deign to give her Germanian colleague a response.

 **Chapter 2**

Academic probation, well at least it was not expulsion. But, her parents were notified. The chance that her mother would be satisfied with a weakling daughter was nonexistent.

This only served to unnerve Louise. Yes, she was self-absorbed and entitled, but without power she was not a noble.

Her musings lasted most of the day until the afternoon. This part of the day was reserved for the students to become acquainted with their familiars. Louise had nothing to do, and thus she watched.

She watched as Kirche casually played with her overgrown newt. At seeing the busty blondes laughter in response to her familiars antics, Louise switched targets with a huff. Despite summoning a dragon, she just sat their quietly reading and Louise quickly bored. Her focus shifted to Guiche as he flirted with a brunette… What? As far as she had known Guiche was with Montmorency.

Although interesting, she had little love for Montmorency, with her holier than thou attitude, and Guiche and his philandering ways. In all reality, the two were a perfect dysfunctional match.

With a sigh, she opened her bag to perhaps do some academic work.

Withdrawing her hand, she could not happen but let out a started 'Eeeek' as she noticed that her hand was now covered in dark ink.

The entire inside of her bad was a mess. It had managed to place a thin, murky coating on all her possessions.

Wait, scratch that, everything but one.

It was an odd book, and certainly out of place compared with the rest of her items. It was small, thin with a shabby black cover. The back seemed to have some characters that were shockingly regular.

* * *

Her curiosity piqued, Louise decided to open the book and view the untold secrets within.

Anxiously awaiting the answer, she pulled back the cover and let out a started scream. "Its empty! Why of course it is…"

If her classmates had been closer, Louise would surely been the recipient of at least a few questioning glances.

Realizing that she had nothing better to do, Louise decided to write in the little book, and perhaps use it as a diary.

The generic words, "Dear Diary," had scarcely left her pen when she watched the ink move before her very eyes. Blinking to make sure that she was not mistaken, the words had shifted to say simply.

"Call me Tom"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Despite her initial reservations, Louise poured out her thoughts, insecurities, and reservations. She should have been more skeptical, but she was too preoccupied by the fact that she finally had someone to listen.

Louise had just finished writing about the Rule of Steel, when she noticed that rather than giving more encouragement, or soothing words, Tom had given her a question.

"The stress, pressure, and doubt must be terrible. If you could make it go away, would you?"

Naturally, her curiosity was piqued, and so Tom began his tale.

"I do not know this world, or how long I have been trapped in this book. However, my story begins like many other stories long ago, with an act of betrayal by someone trusted above all others."

Louise gazed at the page in anticipation as she thought that Tom was struggling through painful memories. In reality, he was merely pausing for theatrical effect. Not that she knew or suspected at the time.

"Following my birth, I was placed in an orphanage despite my noble blood. Much like you, I attended a school of magic growing up. I viewed the person who invited me to to the school as a mentor and savior. It just made his betrayal more painful."

"I was charismatic, intelligent, and I thought the world would be mine for the taking. Much like you, I never knew parental acceptance, so I used that to power my ambitions. Despite my standards and morals, some of my classmates were less reputable. Rather than seek fame and fortune through honest labor and hard work, they were content to try and cheat."

"During one of my years a student released a monster in the school. This monster killed a young girl."

Louise let out a gasp, before continuing to read.

"I was able to stop it, of course, but I received praise for my accomplishment. Little did I know of the envy festering in these conspirators hearts."

"You see Louise, the more that one achieves, the attention one gains from less than honest individuals."

"As a youth, I was told a story of a king, who decided to show his wealth to the world. Therefore he built a massive hall which became a center for celebration and revelry. However, this location was not just a beacon for the just. But the dark as well. All manners of evil creatures were attracted to the place and it became the king's undoing."

"In the darkness of night they surprised me, and I lacked the ability to defend myself and even have a fighting chance. Using a dark and evil ritual, they trapped my soul inside this diary and destroyed my body."

"One of the individuals was my old transfiguration teacher. He was the one who invited me to the school and showed me, a mere urchin, a higher purpose. It is almost fitting that the same individual who showed me life would also try to kill me."

Louise's shock was quickly replaced by sorrow for her new found friend.

"So. how will this help me?"

"Well Louise, it is like this, inside of each of us we have a soul. Our soul determines our self-identity. A soul has multiple parts that influence us, such as: memories, emotions, and our composure. This composure is the manner and bearing that one uses in their everyday life."

As he said this, Tom could not help but snicker internally within his mindscape. He was lathering it on thick and this naive girl was buying it.

Continuing,

"What many people don't realize is that souls can be exchanged and traded as long as both parties are willing. This trade can either be a partial trade or full."

Louise was still gazing at the diary in shock. Here was her chance to be confident, mature, the and not just use the Rule of Steel as a mask, but instead live her life by it. All her insecurities and doubts would be made irrelevant.

Gazing at the changing emotions on Louise's face, Tom could not help but wish that he could read minds to see who was winning the internal struggle. He was practically dying from anticipation as Louise put her pen to the page and wrote.

"So, where do we start?"

Tom was shocked to silence. He could not believe that she had taken the bait so soon. Deciding to pause for added effect, he said

"Let's start with arrogance"

 **A.N.**

If you made it this far, I would like feedback regarding any advice regarding writing style and what not. Also, I am fairly new to the FoZ universe so I would greatly appreciate if there were some individuals who could volunteer to be a beta reader or to just let me ask them questions. I am hoping that now since we have the boring stuff done it will pick up and start fleshing out more.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Her response was near instantaneous, "Why?"

However, Tom was not to be deterred.

"Arrogance is the key to self confidence, which in turn leads to satisfaction in oneself."

To this statement, Louise gave a one word response, "Alright."

Little did she know that this one word would change her life.

* * *

The next day.

Walking through the halls to breakfast, Louise could not but overhear.

"Oh, my darling Katie your beauty seems to increase everyday."

Much like every day prior Louise thought to herself "Pompous fop," however, unlike every other day, she also decided to act.

Approaching the pair, Louise raised her hand to Guiche as if greeting an old friend. "Morning Guiche, is this the new challenge you were telling Montmorency and me about last night?"

Guiche had been making signs that she should desist, while simultaneously trying to distract his female companion. However, Katie, the young girl in question, had her interest piqued and his efforts were in vain.

"When did he say this?" The younger girl asked.

"It was last night, he was telling us, that is me and Montmorency, about a silly little girl that he was toying with. He said that he had escaped her that evening by feigning illness. And then he shared this delicious Souffle with us."

Smirking Louise finished with: "Anyways, it was after that and before he confessed his undying love to Montmorency."

Upon hearing this, the brunette ran off towards the dining hall. After a brief pause Guiche followed in pursuit after yelling "Katie wait!"

And of course, Louise was following to watch the outcome.

Standing in the entryway, she saw Guiche reach out and take Katie by the arm.

"Don't listen to the zero. She has zero credibility and is just jealous of you and the love we share."

Noticing that her shaking and sobs had stopped, Guiche proceeded to embrace her and continued with "And that stuff about Montmorency was obviously false. If I was to confess my love, it would be to you."

Standing out of sight, Louise could barely hold back a laugh as Guiche proceeded to inadvertently stoke the explosion that was sure to come.

Little did Guiche know that scarcely half a table away from him sat Montmorency. And judging by her red face and shaking, her fury was barely contained.

However, Guiche remained oblivious.

"Honestly, I am hurt that you would even believe what she said. Her beauty does not compare to yours."

They remained embracing each other until the sound of a chair being slid roughly across the stone floors drew the attention of everyone in the room.

Seething with barely contained rage, Montmorency slowly raised herself from her seat.

"You!" she screamed and paused to catch her breath.

"You, you" she sputtered as if searching for the perfect insult.

And then, as if the answer had finally come to her, she began her tirade.

"You blonde-haired, two timing git. To think that I thought we had a chance. I tried to deal with your wandering eye and attentions. But, I don't think that is possible anymore! I can't believe that I actually believed you last night."

With that, she slapped him and stormed from the room.

Guiche's friends burst out laughing.

"A rose blooms for the pleasure of many, eh Guiche?"

Guiche's face flushed crimson.

Forgetting that he was still holding onto Katie's arm, he moved to pursue her. Although unable to catch Montmorency, his movement shocked the younger girl into action.

"It's all true, isn't it?" She managed to say through sobs.

Moving forward, to comfort her, he only succeeded in walking straight into the palm of her hand. Katie had turned and stormed off before the sound had finished echoing in the stony chamber.

Seemingly lost, Guiche took a half step forward before looking around the room.

The critical gazes and muted whispers told him all he needed to know. His reputation was ruined.

Turning to leave he saw Louise standing in the doorway. She sneered over at him and said.

"It appears that there is more than one zero here now. You have zero reputation, zero friends, and zero excuses."

Guiche blanched at her implications before stammering

"You did this to me."

Finding his voice, he continued with

"You have insulted my honor and that of those fair maidens."

Louise responded with "You have managed that all by yourself. Prove that you are not a coward and fight to regain their honor if it is so important. Meet me at the dueling grounds in the free period after lunch."

With that she turned and left.

A collective gasp was heard through the room. Louise was the zero, she stood no chance, right?

Despite her outwardly calm appearance, Louise was internally panicking. Heading for the nearest unoccupied room, she withdrew the diary and wrote "Tom!"

She did not have to wait long for an answer, for soon the words "Louise?" showed on the faded parchment.

"I need help Tom, I am going to be fighting a classmate in a few hours and I need to figure a way to beat him."

Tom's answer was fast, "Use your magic."

Louise's response was just as quick "My magic is unpredictable and all I can do is explosions."

Tom responded with "Hmm…"

Louise could almost picture a dark haired youth sitting pensively in thought.

Viewing the looks of anxiety, fear, and curiosity make there way across her face, Tom could scarcely contain his elation. The smallest grin made its way across his face in a way that would make the Cheshire cat proud. Soon he would be free.

* * *

"Do you remember our discussion on souls?"

Louise responded with: "Vaguely, but what is the relevance"

Smiling to himself once more, for the first time in forever, Tom replied

"Well, I was an accomplished spellcaster with years of experience in duels."

At her beseeching, quizzical expression he continued

"We could perform another exchange, actually, exchange is a bad word. This would be more along the lines of a merger."

He could tell that she was intrigued. He just had to spring the trap and soon he would be free. Pausing for effect before beginning his monologue.

"If you recall, we had spoken about the exchanging of souls. The other night we exchanged your insecurities and self esteem for my arrogance."

Not pausing for the inevitable explosion that would occur when the young girl realized his involvement in her current predicament, he continued.

"What I propose is that we do a complete merger."

Louise, gullible as she may have been, still was not foolish enough not notice the obvious problem.

"What is to ensure that I remain who I am?"

The answer was fast and meant to lull her into a false sense of security.

"Well, I thought that a level of trust was between us."

Continuing,

"If I do this, we will both understand one another to such a level that you would be me. The best way to describe it would be that our memories would be shared. What would be the difference is that we would both exist in a sense. We would be able to discuss and share our thoughts with one another rather than using this primitive novel."

Against his argument and logic, Louise could find no other objections. And so she acquiesced to the exchange.

And then she fainted.

* * *

Louise awoke suddenly inside a blackness, alone. The silence was palpable and seemed to penetrate her very existence with its dark sound of two footsteps echoed throughout the nothingness, which should have been impossible due to the fact that she was floating.

Suddenly, Louise noticed that she was no longer floating and also no longer alone.

She glanced at her new companion, she noticed that he looked familiar, but was unable to place his face.

"Tom?" Louise managed to croak out despite the fact that she now knew the answer.

"Greetings Louise, it is a pleasure to finally be able to speak with you."

Louise, for once in her life was silent and appeared to be doing an impersonation of a fish, if her gaping mouth was a sign of anything.

In response to her stunned silence, Tom said: " For the partial exchange like we did previously, an impersonal agreement was satisfactory. However, for an agreement of this magnitude, it is necessary for the ritual to be as personal as possible.

Seemingly from nowhere, Tom summoned a dagger. The blade of which was shockingly light, almost an ebony color rather than the dull grey of steel.

"Tom continued. In order for this to occur we must merge ourselves on a fundamental intrinsic level. The simplest way is to use blood."

"Blood represents life and existence. In ancient times, a blood ritual was done to "seal" the promises made. A covenant is a kind of promise, a contract, a binding agreement between two parties."

"As a result, we will be engaging in a blood pact with one another, as a sign of our eternal agreement."

With that Tom slashed the knife across his palm, the cut was superficial enough to not cause lasting damage.

Looking to his companion, Tom could see the resolve in her eyes. He had to admit that his tirade of a speech was much more powerful performed spoken than if it had been written.

Tom handed the knife to the young girl saying. "Slit your palm like I have done and then grasp my hand, and then say 'As a being of the flesh with one heart and one life, I call on you to become one heart, one mind, and one new life with me.'"

Looking straight into Tom's eyes, Louise did as he suggested.

Unblinking Tom met her gaze and then said

"I accept, thus, we are no longer two, but one flesh, and one life."

* * *

Blinking, Louise opened her eyes.

Yawning rubbing her eyes, Louise couldnt help but think to herself. _Stupid Tom, he couldn't even help. I don't remember any of his memories._

To her shock, she heard in her thoughts.

 _Now now Louise, is that any way to express your gratitude? I was kind enough to make this deal with you. You didn't think that you would gain my memories all at once did you?_

All of the sudden, Louise felt a searing pain on her left hand.

Needless to say, Louise fainted for a second time.

* * *

 **A.N.**

So, we start to get into the fun stuff. Next chapter will be the duel. Time for some background information regarding the characters and the setting.

I will be most likely be roughly following the light novel timeline for this. I apologize for anime fans, but I never really got into it. I also say roughly because I am more interested in the socio-political environment of the light novel and events. That will be combined with a slightly deeper look into the nature of the soul.

 **All reviews and feedback is greatly appreciated, whether it is left as a review or as a pm.**

Also, the struggle that Louise will be going through is developing herself as an individual from Tom and her former self. This struggle between good and evil is derived and inspired by some of the work of the philosopher _Immanuel Kant_.

Until next time!

~Marchioly


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Once more, Louise found herself coming to her senses. However, unlike the previous time, Tom did not give her time to regain her mental faculties. As a result, Louise was only able to respond with a: "Hmm?"

Scoffing at her for speaking out loud, Tom repeated himself and, although having a voice in your head might seem fairly impersonal, it seemed to Louise as if he was relishing his newfound speech.

 _I asked if you could lift up your left hand so that we could look at it._

Although his voice did not show it, Tom was not only very curious, but also afraid. Not only had he felt pain for the first time in forever, but also Louise's magic felt strange.

The fusing of their souls into one, had meant that there was a melding of their magical cores. If Tom had entered into the agreement with a magic user such as himself, or even been able to siphon off their magic he would have felt no different.

However, fusing with Louise's magic was different, and so Tom was perplexed.

During his search of the Chamber of Secrets, he had uncovered many of the writings of Salazar Slytherin. Some of which explored the nature of magic. Most wizards and witches possessed a single magical core, which was linked to their spirit. This magic was as much a part of them as the blood that flows through their veins.

However, Salazar noted that some subspecies of humanity, in addition to non human magic users possessed a different form of magical core. Most notable was the veela, who in the case of magical veela, possessed a normal magical core and also an elemental core. For the veela, this gave them their affinity for fire.

The difference between an elemental core and a magical core is where the actual energy is coming from. WIth a traditional magical core, the more you use and become proficient with magic, the more your core grows. However, with an elemental core, you will the element to do the desired action and the force behind that does not come from the individual's magic but from another source. Salazar had considered that it was possibly the remnant of a pact with a deity from a bygone age.

If he had to liken Louise's magic to anything, it would be to a house elf. It possessed many similarities to both his magic and also elemental magic. Additionally, when a house elf performs magic, willpower rather than invocation is significant.

Tom doubted that, with the little of his magical core that remained in Louise from their fusing, he would be able to manage a simple Imperious curse (not that he had tried, admitting that would be license for Louise to yell at him)

As a result, until he could somehow cultivate and grow the remnants of his former core in Louise, he would be unable to cast traditional spells. And thus, a simple girl inadvertently made decades of knowledge that was based upon the best work of over 9 centuries irrelevant.

Well, Tom reasoned. Not everything was lost. Hypothetically, blood magic, soul magic, and rune magic were still available.

At this current point in time, unless he was trying to create an army of followers, both blood and soul magic would be fairly useless. The original dark mark was derived on both of these. It combined both by using blood magic to form a physical tether through the blood and life force of the recipient with soul magic to connect that tether to Tom's soul.

However, rune magic would be useful.

Rune magic was fairly different from the other branches of magic because it was a two step process. The first was engraving the runes and spelling the intent. The second was to actually impart magic into the final construct.

As a result, despite the lack of sufficient magical reserves to do most runes on his own, he should hypothetically be able to a power the runes with some of Louise's magic.

His musings were cut short my Louise's snappish statement of "Happy?"

Looking down at her hand Tom let out a mental gasp, engraved upon her hand was **runes**. And the best part, was that he could recognize just one of them.

That rune was **Ehwaz** , which means 'Partnership.'

Much to Louise's shock. Tom's voice responded, but not with its usual timbre. _Louise, these are runes. And they are the same as some of the runes that I have studied. It appears that there are more similarities that I previously suspected._

Deciding that they had more pressing issues, Tom decided to switch to a more comfortable topic. _So, what were you saying about a duel?_

Louise responded with, _I am set to duel a fellow student. He calls himself 'Guiche the Brass.'_

Tom quickly said: _What can you tell me about him and his particular magic?_

 _Guiche is fairly arrogant and a dot earth mage. He is the is the fourth son of …_

Louise was unable to finish because Tom quickly cut her off.

 _Spare me the politics, I do not need to know his connections. I need to know the specifics of his powers. Oh, and what in the name of Merlin is a dot mage?_

She quickly summarized for him.

 _His powers are primarily based around Brass, hence his name,_

Refraining from laughing at Tom's mumbled _creative…_ she continued

 _He can either summon and manipulate brass into weapons or objects, or he can call forth bronze golems that are armed with a variety of melee weapons._

In her mind's eye, Louise could almost see Tom crossing his fingers in front of his face, and leaning back in a chair.

Tom's response was quick and to the point. _So here is the plan._

* * *

Vestri Court was the central garden situated between the Wind and Fire elemental towers. Being located to the west, the Court didn't receive much sunshine, even in the middle of the day, but it was the perfect place for a duel.

Right now... the place was packed with people who had heard the rumors.

"Gentlemen! It's a duel!"

Guiche lifted his artificial rose high, eliciting a loud cheer from the crowd.

"Guiche is going to duel! His opponent is Louise the Zero!"

Waving his arms about, Guiche acknowledged the cheering.

And then, as if finally noticing Louise's presence there, he turned to face her.

Louise merely stood in the middle of the Court, glaring intently at her adversary.

"First of all, I commend you for coming here instead of running away!" Guiche remarked in a sing-song voice, as he twirled his rose.

"Like anyone would run away!"

"I have no expectations for a Zero. Anyway, let us begin," said Guiche.

Guiche watched her with a leisurely smile and flicked his rose.

A petal floated down as if dancing in the air...

And became the armor-clad shape of a female warrior.

Its height was about the same as a person's, but it appeared to be constructed from some hard metal. Under the pale sunlight, its skin... its armor gleamed.

Like an actor on stage or a con man working a crowd, Guiche saw fit to choose the optimal moment to state dramatically. "This is my bronze golem 'Valkyrie,' I doubt you can even beat her to get to me."

The golem stood stoically between the two duelists. Standing still as if made of stone (which in a way it was).

All of the sudden, to Guiche's shock. His golem exploded. The crowd went silent as everyone seemed to try and rationalize the same impossible conclusion.

Looking at his opponent, who had a smirk on her face. Guiche blanched. _She didn't even move or say an incantation._ He thought. _Hell, she didn't even draw her wand._

Continuing smirking at Guiche, Louise stated.

"Give me one reason why I should not end your life, right here in this very instant on this courtyard."

Tom chose this moment to enter her thoughts. _You are doing wonderfully. Just continue sticking with the plan._

Guiche, stood, pale and frightened on the opposite end of the courtyard. His thoughts were sporadic, and random. He never had considered the thought of his death. He had so much more that he wanted to do. So many of them involving Montmorency. For the first time, Guiche realized what a fool he was. He had overlooked the most valuable thing to himself, instead choosing to idle his time away on pointless endeavors.

Glancing at his opponent, Guiche could not detect a single queue from her facial expression. She looked much like his golem, unmoving and unyielding. The difference was that devilish smirk. That smirk promised his death.

Much like her magic would soon inevitably break his body, her voice broke his musings.

"Have you decided?"

Viewing nothing else as an option, Guiche thrust down his rose as if it was a poisonous snake. Falling to his knees, he gazed at his erstwhile enemy, before saying. "All that I am, is all that I offer. I am willing to swear an oath of fealty and become your vassal."

Mentally dissecting at the blonde haired individual under the force of her gaze, Louise's smirk was broken as she decided to speak.

"I accept your proposal."

Walking forward, glancing around the assembled crowd

"All you here, bear witness to the agreement."

And finally, returning her gaze to Guiche, Louise said.

"We can discuss the details of your oath at a later date."

Guiche's relief was short lived for he noticed that Louise was looking at him as if he was a particularly interesting specimen to examine.

At this, he could not help but think: _Oh Founder, what have I gotten myself into._

* * *

Gazing down at her bested foe, Louise finally was able to sate her curiosity.

 _Alright, I trusted you. Now explain._

Once again, Louise felt the sense of deja vu as if Tom had entered professor mode.

 _In battle, some of the greatest battles are fought in the mind. Intimidation is never worth understating. You may be an excellent fighter, but every warrior has their weakness. However, you can never lose if the enemy just surrenders._

 _I will give you two examples._

 _In ancient history, we tell stories about a warrior by the name of Achilles. When he was but a babe, his mother dipped him in the river Styx. Being so close to death by being immersed in death's own waters, he became invincible on the part that was submerged. He was without peer. Seemingly unkillable._

 _However, he had a weak spot. When dipping him into the waters of death, his mother had held onto his heel. It would be a wound to this area that would end the saga of Achilles._

 _The second example is also from ancient history. It follows a barbaric race that were able to use intimidation to scare their foes into submission. Through these tactics, they were able to scare their foes into submission and conquer a portion of the world._

Seeing that he had finished, Louise saw fit to say.

 _Alright, and what about the golem?_

Louise could almost see Tom smirk.

 _The greatest thing is to know your opponent. Based on your description of him, it was obvious that Guiche was going to summon the golem in the middle of the courtyard for extra shock value for the crowd._

 _As a result, it was simple for us to go earlier and draw a rune for an explosion and then power it._

Getting a rare moment of compassion, Tom looked at her and said.

 _You did wonderfully, and your explosion was very useful. We will find a way to figure out your magic._

Returning to professor mode, Tom continued.

 _I love it when a plan comes together._

* * *

 **A.N.**

Another chapter just for you guys.

The rune Ehwaz is actually a real rune in the HP-verse.

Part of the description of the courtyard and start to the duel was adapted from the novel.

Unable to resist the urge, I had to put that shameless reference to John 'Hannibal" Smith from the A-team in the last line.

 **Any feedback is appreciated whether done via a review or a pm.**

 **I am potentially looking for a beta reader.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 **A.N. I apologize for how long this chapter took to be released. Some of the only feedback that I received was that my updates were too small. As a result, I tried to do a very large update and got stuck. As a result, I decided to just do as I was doing previously and slowly keep increasing the size of my updates.**

 **Please review! It helps provide motivation to continue writing and also give criticism on things to be improved.**

Louise, but not purely Louise anymore, was roused from her sleep by a harsh sharp knock on her door,

Unlike his previous state of perpetual awareness, Louise could hear the exhaustion on Tom's voice.

 _If we ignore them, will they go away?_

Louise, adopting a pondering expression, replied.

 _I honestly have no idea, I have never really had anyone ever visit my room before. I'll be honest when I say that you are my first real friend Tom._

Upon hearing her answer, Tom had flashbacks to being a dark haired boy in an orphanage. Friendless and alone. Forsaken by his parents, ignored by most of his peers. It was at that moment that Tom realized that this girl was not that different from himself. He might have finally found a true friend. Sure, he was well known during his Hogwarts years. But most of the people were willing to follow him for their own gain.

However, this little slip of a pink haired girl, who was broken and forsaken, was the first who saw Tom for himself. This was so touching for him, it almost made him regret what he would do to her.

Following his utter demolishment of Guiche in the previous fight, Tom laughed at how easily he was able to overcome the over-confident noble.

* * *

Tom knew the machinations of politics, that was how he started the Death Eaters after all. Tom just preferred not to. He preferred being the figure pulling the strings in the background, rather than the one in the arena. After all, who didn't want to be a puppet master.

One of the key foundations of his previous movement was the secrecy that existed around him regarding his identity. Even in his inner circle, few could claim seeing his face, and fewer still had any idea of his identity.

Yes, curiosity is key. Plus the intrigue is refreshing. With his new companion and situation, Tom decided that it was fine to retire his previous persona. Although he did not know the specifics with the Death Eater movement, he at least remembered the inception and orchestration of the organization.

For now, he was content to train Guiche to be his voice politically, however in the meantime, he needed to gain complete control. His companion, Louise, needed to be dealt with. If Tom was to be honest, he would admit that he had grown accustomed to the youth.

* * *

 _Well that was helpful_ , Tom said mentally with a yawn. Louise could hear the sarcasm dripping from his words.

Earlier, they both had met with the headmaster of the school. Tom thought that the man could give Dumbledore a run for his money in terms of senility.

Flashback

" _Miss Valliere, I hope you understand why you I have called you here this morning."_

 _Without giving the pinkette an opportunity to respond, he continued: "The summoning of a familiar is a sign of nobility, and this is a school for nobles. As a result, I am afraid that without a familiar your options at this school are limited and we no longer have a place for you."_

 _The old man followed up his prepared spiel by reclining back in his chair and relaxing. Tom could not help but admire the man's courage in the face of the impending eruption._

 _This explosion was prefaced by Louise's face turning a rapidly darkening shade of red, which she followed with saying: "I don't know what you are trying to pull here …"_

 _Tom had been on the receiving end on many tirades from spurned women and so after the start he was content to just zone out and ignore the young woman's tirade._

 _The aged headmaster apparently had similar ideas as he had a blank look on his face before moments later looking down to the floor and saying._

" _Plain white cotton panties you say?"_

 _A squeak was heard and Tom looked down at a normally ordinary looking brown mouse on the floor. A mouse that the wizened old man was apparently in conversation with. Tom's respect for the man raised a few more levels. Over the course of his life, he had composed a list of things that you just do not do. The headmaster's current conversation was located somewhere between wearing red and trying to pet a bull and bathing in blood before entering a vampire's lair._

 _Unlucky for the headmaster, Louise had chosen to stop for breath just as the headmaster said:_

" _I agree my friend, I find cotton boring. I think Miss Valliere would look much more fetching wearing lace."_

 _Jumping from her seat. Louise grabbed the tiny mouse, and made a motion as if she was prepared to crush the offending creature._

 _Tom took this as an opportunity to start to pay attention again._

" _I know that you know who I am. I also know that I will be staying at this school. You will give me a chance to reattempt the summoning ritual, and I will succeed."_

 _A dark look crossed her features and she continued._

" _And I also know that you know I am willing crush this mouse like a bug."_

 _Placing the now terrified mouse down on the ground, Louise left the room without sparing a backwards glance._

End flashback

* * *

With a flourish, Tom/Louise finished chanting the summoning ritual. This was the first summoning ritual that Tom had witnessed and he was shocked by the waves of power that were flowing off the portal.

 _I really wish that my magic worked. I would do anything for mage sight or the ability to perform arithmancy on this portal._

Elsewhere:

A booming voice echoed over the landscape around Hogwarts. Ignoring the extremely loud volume, there was something about the voice that seemed less than human. The way the letter 's' was extended and slurred into a hiss.

"The battle is won. You have lost half of your ﬁghters. My Death Eaters outnumber you,and the Boy-Who-Lived is ﬁnished. There must be no more war. Anybody who continues to resist, man, woman, or child, will be slaughtered, as will every member of their family. Come out of the castle now, kneel before me, and you shall be spared. Your parents and children, your brothers and sisters will live and be forgiven, and you will join me in the new world we shall build together."

All of the sudden, there was a pop heard. Dobby and the rest of the Hogwarts house elves once more entering the fray. Dobby was at the lead, a pointed cap on its head. Brandishing the sword of Godric Gryffindor in one hand, the little elf nimbly hopped around the battlefield before remembering what Harry, his friend, had told him:

Flashback

 _"You know Voldemort's snake, Dobby? He's got a huge snake... Calls it Nagini ... You need to kill it"_

 _Dobby nodded his head in exuberance. Surely anything that Harry said was important._

 _"Yes master Harry"_

 _The bespeckled youth was quick to retort, "How many times must I tell you Dobby, we are friends. Stop calling me master. I was a slave to the Dursleys, I don't want slaves of my own."_

 _The tiny elf's eyes seemed to bulge out even more as they teared up._

 _"Dobby has a friend?"_

 _Harry smiled down at the young creature, "Yes, yes you do."_

End flashback.

Dobby prepared to kill the bad-man's snake. He 'popped' before it and prepared to cleanly strike off the snake's head. Suddenly, a voice came from where it shouldn't. It came from _below_ him.

In a column of bright light. Dobby, the Sorting Hat, Nagini, and the Sword of Gryffindor vanished. Never to be seen again.

* * *

Much like the previous time, Louise's summoning was accompanied by a large column of smoke and an exceedingly loud noise. However, rather than depositing a seemingly innocuous book, TWO creatures exited through the portal. One was a snake, while the other was a weird looking short, brown wrinkled creature. This … weird creature possessed a wide brimmed black hat and an ornate sword held between its hands.

Louise's observations and the upcoming question regarding the nature of the unknown entity were stopped by Tom's statement

 _Brilliant, it is a bloody house elf… Is that the sorting hat?_

The snake and the newly identified house elf became engaged in the dance of death, each circling around the other to find an opportune angle to attack. Each of the entities solely forced upon avoiding the others arsenal. The house elf was wary of the poison dripping from the snake's fangs, while the snake sought to avoid the cool sting of the steel.

Tom was quick to comment: _That sword is sharp_.

Louise did not deign to respond besides a somewhat quizzical expression. Tom caught on and elaborated.

 _A sharp edge will reflect no light because the two sides come together to form a razor fine edge. On the other hand, a dull knife's edge will appear shiny because the two sides form a blunt rounded edge which reflects light._

All of the sudden, the deadly dance was broken as the 'house-elf's started to spasm. The point of the sword drooped down.

The snake wasted no time in going for the kill once the elf's guard dropped. The little elf stood no chance against the venomous serpent.

Both Tom and Louise stood in shock, looking at the remains of the elf. Tom was the first to comment.

 _Elves are creatures of magic. The founders theorized that they lived off the ambient magic of the earth. Apparently, the magic here did not agree with him._

Louise, gaped at the scene a little longer before snarking back:

 _That is the understatement of the year. He is now dead._

Ignoring her, Tom continued.

 _You might as well make sure it is dead first and then complete the summoning. A serpent such as this seems like an average familiar. At least it is enough to cement your status as a mage._

Louise kicked the dead body of the elf to test if it was alive. Upon confirming, Tom convinced her to relieve the diminutive creature of the hat and sword.

Lifting the hat up in the air, Louise shook the mildewed object by its pointed end and it dangled, empty and ragged. The sword by contrast was ornate and jeweled. Louise took care to heed Tom's warning and avoid the sharp edge.

Turning to the snake, Louise glared down at the hissing serpent. Louise was unsure about what was being said, but she knew that the creature was angry, confused, and scared. She did not know how she knew, but just like she knew that water was wet or the sky blue she knew it was true.

Raising her hands in a placating gesture, with her head bowed in such a way that was submissive, she slowly approached the snake. Speaking softly, she told the snake not to fear. Louise was so caught up in the situation, and if she had been paying more attention to the words coming from her mouth, she would have noticed that the occasional hissing sound was escaping her mouth.

Once she detected the snake had calmed down, Louise prepared to complete the summoning ritual. Beginning the ritual, she waved around the wooden stick in her hand.

"My name is Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière. Pentagon of the Five Elemental Powers; bless this humble being and make him my familiar."

She chanted those words over and over, like a magic spell, and touched the serpent's forehead with the stick. Bracing herself to conclude the ritual, she prepared herself for what was next/ Slowly she drew closer and kissed the snake on the head.

In her mind, Louise heard the name of her new familiar, scarcely louder than a whisper.

 _Nagini_.

 **A.N. I apologize for any spoilers of the Deathly Hallows from the above except. Additionally, I understand that Dobby is traditionally dead at this time, however, just assume that due to the absence of Riddle's diary, Chamber of Secrets was unopened. Thus, Dobby was not free then, which would alter the timeline.**

 **Once again, please review. I need feedback, I have not watched the Familiar of Zero anime yet or read the manga/light novel. Thus far, I am reading the light novel as I write this story.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

 **A.N. Here is an update, this seemed like a good area to update in order to keep the chapters a little smaller and thematically together. I will also answer any reviews here in the A.N. section from now on.**

Thorfaxdragonkin

R. I thought that she would end up calling the basalisk as her familiar

A. I had considered the basilisk, but I did not like the idea for the following reasons.

It is huge. It will be hard for Louise to become a powerful figure with a giant familiar that is very ostentatious.

I had no idea what to name the basilisk

Nagini has a piece of Voldemort's soul in place, which can justify heightened intelligence and added snark.

I really wanted to kill off Dobby. One of my younger siblings was terrified by him in the movies.

mileto1

R. Tanto tiempo, y muy bueno, no imagine q traerías a nagini, nagini se podrá comunicar con tom?

Translation: So much time, and very good. I did not imagine you would bring nagini. Nagini can communicate with Tom?

A. Sí, debe leer y descubrir. :)

Translation: Yes, you should read and discover. :)

Ravenm

R. The last book was released like 9 years ago xD dont worry about plot is interesting.

A. Haha, hard to believe it has been so long. Glad you find the plot interesting. This is my first foray into writing, so I am enjoying it thus far. It is mainly hard finding the inspiration to sit down and write.

 **Please review! It helps provide motivation to continue writing and also give criticism on things to be improved.**

* * *

The serpent blinked up at her with eyes that betrayed a level of emotion seldom seen in a mere beast. They were far too intelligent. Louise gazed forward upon creature that had guaranteed her status as a mage. This changed everything. She was no longer a failure. She no longer needed to pretend.

Her musings were broken a hissing sound from the serpent, however unlike before Louise actually knew what it was saying rather than just having an idea.

"Statement: Hah, little wrinkly skinned midget meatbag died. Definitely did not taste like chicken though."

Realizing that the snake had an audience, it snapped out of its audible musings and addressed the pinkette.

"Query: Meatbag? Where is this?"

Looking at the snake, Louise prepared to address the slithering creature,

"I am Louise Francoise de la Valliere, this is Tristrain. You are my familiar."

"Statement: You are meatbag until you earn name. Query: Familiar?"

"As a familiar, you will be required to assist me in whatever I wish."

"Query: Second master smells of first master, why?"

Louise was quick to respond: "You had another master?"

The serpent replied: "Statement: Yes, I met him when I was a little hatchling. He was the first speaker that I met."

 _Weird, do you have any idea Tom?_ Louise thought mentally

Tom was shocked that this girl was a speaker. It was inconceivable that the blood of Salazar was running through the veins of this weakling. Truthly, if he was able, he would have considering death to be more fitting than this association.

 _Remember how I told you the stories of my betrayal?_

Not waiting for her affirmation, he continued

 _One of the reasons that I was a target was because I was the heir to an extremely powerful and noble bloodline. One of the hallmarks of this bloodline was the ability to talk to snakes._

 _When I was a young boy, I was raised in an orphanage._

Louise was unable to stay quiet, _You were a bastard?_

Shaking his head internally, Tom could not help but sigh.

 _Of everything that was said, you chose to focus on THAT? Anyway, let us continue._

 _In the orphanage, I was friendless and alone. The other children shunned me, and the staff avoided me. As a result, I spent most of my time separated from the rest._

Deciding to speed up the tale and save some of the drama, Tom decided to summarize.

 _I discovered my unique ability to talk to snakes, when I was still young. By this point I had already been shunned by the other students, and so I was sitting away from the others. During my time alone, I made the acquaintance of a common snake._

 _Later after being accepted to a magical school, I had decided to obtain a magical snake as a pet. I searched many pet stores, until I found this beautiful serpent. Unlike the other snakes I had talked with, she was far more intelligent. There are only so many times that one can hear about hunting small rodents, so I found her narcissistic personality to be endearing. I named this snake Nagini. Eventually, I was able to bind her as my familiar._

Louise blinked.

 _Oh._

Tom mentally sighed. His companion surely had a way with words. Also, his old familiar had certainly changed over the decades. He could sense a darkness emanating from the serpent that had certainly not been there before. This evil had certainly not been in the young green serpent that had boastingly stated her superiority over two legged deer (humans). The only evidence that she had was that she was fed in exchange for nothing.

However, now it had changed. His old friend was different. Sure, she recognized his presence on Louise, but would it be possible to regain the companionship that they had once shared? For the longest period, Nagini had been the sole entity that he trusted at Hogwarts. She was his rock and confident.

It was not easy being a half blood in house of Slytherin. Surrounded by purebloods, he was shunned just as ably as at the orphanage. In some cases, it was even worse. At the orphanage, he was picked on due to being strange and a social pariah. At Hogwarts, he was picked on by all the pureblood heirs who were still upset at the failure of the campaign of Grindelwald.

Despite his campaign failing, many of the pureblood families could not disagree with the teachings of Grindelwald. His statements against the muggleborns for corrupting the lifestyle and traditions of the wizarding world rang true with many of these old families.

As a result, Tom was the victim of many students trying to exert their dominance or inflate their egos.

Flashback

 _If one looked in the evening, they would see a dark haired youth perched on top a rock and sitting next to a bright green snake._

" _Nagini, sometimes I just cannot understand."_

 _The snake turned its unblinking eyes towards its companion._

" _Query: Master?"_

 _Deciding to elaborate, Tom continued_

" _Pureblood superiority. It makes no sense that one should be judged by the actions of their ancestors rather than merit."_

 _The snake looked at the youth, and Tom was certain he would get one of her radically simplified, and yet profound statements. She did not disappoint._

" _Statement: Blood is useless. There is only power. The strong live, and the weak die."_

End flashback

Tom chuckled to himself at the memory. To think that part of his inspiration to become one of the most feared dark lords of all time was a snake.

Despite his surprise at seeing his old familiar, he was happy. Who knows how much information he would be able to gain from his old friend. Additionally, the serpent would cement Louise's status as a mage.

* * *

Tom's attention went towards the sword that Louise was still holding. Swords had fallen out of style among the magic population after the International Statute of Secrecy was passed. Before that time, when wizards mingled freely with Muggles, they would use swords to defend themselves just as often as wands.

And what a sword this was. It appeared to be fashioned from pure silver, with rubies inset.

As Tom was thinking about how … Gryffindorish the sword appeared, Louise dropped the point of the sword down and in the process exposed the hilt.

Speak of the devil Tom thought, for Godric Gryffindor's name was engraved just beneath the hilt.

However, there was one thing that needed to be taken care of. And that was the sorting hat.

 _Louise_

Seeming to snap out of her trance, Tom could not help but feel sorry for the girl. It seemed that she was still in shock about her success.

 _What do you want to do with the hat? I would recommend keeping it._

Louise waited for Tom to explain, but he was apparently not in a talkative mood. Deciding to spur him into explaining, Louise said audibly.

"Why should I keep this disgusting hat. It smells, and who knows where it has been. Explain why, or I will just cut it with this sword.

However, her efforts were unneeded, because the subject of her inquiry decided to start moving in her hands.

Shrieking in fear, Louise threw the offending object on the ground. To her horror, the hat turned around on its own. Slowly the hat torn apart at the brim of its own volition.

"I would hope not. I have been perfectly fine for thousands of years and I didn't plan on being destroyed by an emotionally imbalanced little girl."

Tom could not help but sigh. Louise was extremely sensitive about her body, and the magical artifact had inadvertently entered taboo territory. Territory which thus far Tom had been able to avoid.

"It talks!" The pink haired girl yelled.

Well, that was the understatement of the year Tom thought. She never ceases to surprise me. Unbeknownst to Tom a smile crossed his face before continuing. It was a shame she was not with me earlier. Unable to finish that thought, Tom could not help but scowl at the thought that he was going soft. However, luckily for the hat, Louise seemed to have overlooked the unintended insult.

Before continuing, the hat seemed to grin, which was a disturbing sight.

"Why of course I talk. What kind of peasants or uncultured ruffians are you that you don't know who I am?"

Tom could not believe it. Did the hat have a death wish? Yet another taboo topic. However, scarier was the fact that his pink companion had yet to display any emotion.

The hat continued: "I am the Sorting hat, or you can just call me bruce."

Tom scoffed. Bruce? What kind of name was that.

Louise merely stared at the hat before responding emotionally, "And this concerns me how?"

The hat responded: "I want to see the world here. It has been so long since I have been outside Hogwarts and off that shelf."

Louise appeared unswayed. Either she had one hell of a poker face, or she honestly didn't care.

The hat continued, "I have the combined intelligence of 4 of the smartest wizards and a thousand years of new students. I will be able to keep you interested."

Tom was scared. Louise got a look on her face that was purely demonic.

"Listen here, you dustrag. The first two things you said both insulted me. I have no desire to carry around a useless piece of cloth. Especially for that piece of cloths' enjoyment. You will make yourself useful, or I will destroy you. Why don't you use for thousands of years of experience to figure out what you want to do next."

The hat quickly acquiesced. Meanwhile Tom shivered to himself. Some dark lord he was. He was probably the old dark lord in history that was terrified by a little girl.

* * *

 **Once again, please review. I need feedback, I have not watched the Familiar of Zero anime yet or read the manga/light novel. Thus far, I am reading the light novel as I write this story.**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN. I apologize for the long absence. Once again, please review.**

Chapter 8

Tom was unsure what the next cause was. He had a sycophant in training in the form of Guiche. Additionally, he felt a resonance with the serpent, was it possible that the serpent was a horcrux created by his future self? If that was the case, there were two real options in front of him. The first was that he turn the snake into a co-conspirator in his plans for the young pinkette. However, no one knew Voldemort better than himself, and he was afraid that the Snake would eventually betray him as a way to ingratiate itself to the girl. Tom was able to predict this scenario because if he was able to describe himself in two works it would be poise and ambition.

The poise resulted from manipulating his jailers at the orphanage and creating the mask of the prince of Slytherin. In the former, it was a necessary facade to ensure that he was not bothered by the other orphans. The latter was much more significant. The mask was like an alter ego, that existed in opposition to his own personality. Sure, there was overlap. Tom did not deny that he was a polarizing figure and able to sway the masses to his side. The difference was how this occurred. Where Tom was cruel, his mask was benevolent. Where he was impatient, the mask was patient. As a result, Tom would lead through fear and passion, while his mask would rule through ideologies. Naturally, there was some overlap.

On the other hand, his ambition was much much greater. It was the result of wanting more. He was born as the lowest of the low, the unwanted bastard of a bewitched muggle and a desperate witch. Relegated to the uncaring rabble and masses in the orphanages, he was forced to learn two lessons. The first was that he needed to separate himself and his possessions from those who threatened him. The second was that he never wanted to be in this position again.

And so, like many of the thinkers, Tom read. He read science, mathematics, and even theatre. As a youth, he came across the quote that those who cannot do, teach. Naturally, for a selfish individual struggling for a sense of self identity, Tom would rather cut off his own foot than educate another.

Unlike a lesser individual who would curse their fate, Tom chose to focus on something greater. He did not believe in the three sisters sitting around their room of threads. He was a true student of William Shakespeare, namely he lived his life by the quote "It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves."

So naturally, as long as the Snake, Nagini, was potentially in possession of part of Voldemort's soul, it not to be trusted. As a result, Tom had a course of action. First, confirm the presence of the horcrux. Second, find a way to delicately explain the topic to Louise. Finally, there were a series of choices that he had to decide from.

The first was decide whether it was worth reabsorbing the fragment. This process would eliminate the prospect of any outside influence on Louise, but could have the potential of compromising Tom's true personality. As he stated, he was a selfish and prideful individual and found it difficult to imagine adding another half-century of experience to his memories. The change to his perception would have the potential to make him even more insane. On the other hand, the merger would be able to shed some light on his future self and answer some lingering questions that Tom possessed..

The second option was to be somewhat more active in this regard. In this scenario, the goal is to just kill the snake and the horcrux within. The benefit to this option was that there would be no compromising of Tom's soul in the process. The loss of memories and experience would be suboptimal, however, Tom knew that each splitting of the soul to make a horcrux made the soul increasingly weak. He had no idea how the soul fragment was affected by the presence of the reptilian soul of Nagini.


End file.
